Senate Judiciary Committee approves FBI director nomination

Christopher Wray, US President Donald Trump s nominee to lead the FBI following the dismissal of the agency's former chief James Comey, today moved one step closer to being confirmed after receiving bipartisan support from a key Senate committee.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Wray to be FBI director by a vote of 20-0 His nomination now heads to Senate floor for the final decision.

If confirmed, he would replace Comey, who was fired by Trump in May.

New York-born, Wray clerked for Fourth Circuit Judge J Michael Luttig in Richmond, Virginia, and then began his career as an associate at King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta before becoming an Assistant US Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia from 1997-2001.

He next served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General and as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department.

He became the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department s Criminal Division in 2003.

He headed the Criminal Division until 2005, and then returned to private practice at King & Spalding where he has remained since.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)